Long tow sets off

 The container ship MSC Sao Paulo V set out from Halifax today under tow of the tug ALP Sweeper. Indications are that the ship is headed for Naples, which may mean that it could be repaired and returned to service - unlikely as that seems. The ship was built in 1998 and after the engine room fire that started March 3, many were of the opinion that the ship would not be repaired, but send for scrap. However with the current demand for ships, in part due to the Red Sea war zone diversions, very few ships are going for scrap these days but are kept running beyond normal retirement dates.

After the fire was extinguished after several days, the ship was towed to Quebec City for survey, then departed in tow as a dead ship on March 27, arriving Halifax April 2. Its cargo of containers has been offloaded at PSA Halifax Atlantic Gateway. The boxes are now being transshipped to the MSC Shristi (in port at Pier 41) and MSC Cornelia (standing by offshore) and will be sent on to the orginal destinations of Sines, Portugal and Mediterranean ports.

With no power on deck it took several hours to let go and recover the mooring lines and gangways and to get underway from Pier 42. The ALP Sweeper was made up with heavy towing gear, ready to pull away.

Unfortunately the clear conditions earlier in the morning had vanished by noon with drizzle setting in making the ship nearly invisible from shore by the time it reached open water.

 

Views from Purcell's Cove (upper photo) and Ferguson's Cove (lower photo) were less than ideal.

The tugs Atlantic Bear and Atlantic Beaver with Atlantic Oak tethered astern, assisted the tow while Dominion Diving's launch Halmar disembarked a local crew of deckhands when their work was done.

The two Quebec tugs Océan Taïga and Océan Raynald T. stood by until the ship was clear of the dock, then went to Pier 9B to replenish some stores. They had been holding the ship alongside the whole time it was in Halifax. (They received assistance from the Atlantic Elm during the height of the bad weather during the past week.)

 It may appear that Ocean Taïga's superstructure is a light brown colour. I believe however that it is streaked with iron ore dust accumulated while working at Baffinland Iron's Milne Inlet port. The iron oxidizes rapidly and sticks to everything. Groupe Océan tugs have white superstructures like its fleet mate in the foreground.

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MSC Sao Paulo V - update

 The container ship Sao Paulo V en route to Halifax in a dead ship tow of the tug Océan Taïga with Océan Raynald T on a stern line has put back to seek shelter. After clearing the Cabot Strait the tug's AIS signal showed progess along the coast past Chedabucto Bay and Cape Canso, and perhaps as far south as Country Harbour. Then, due to an intense weather system, the whole tow came about and returned to the area off Sydney Bight where it is standing off in the lee of high land.

Océan Taïga and sister Océan Tundra are 8,000 bhp, 100 tonne bollard pull arctic class tugs. 

The Océan Taïga and its sister are the most powerful tugs on the St.Lawrence River, but are essentially large harbour and escort tugs. Every summer they work in the high arctic at the Baffinland Iron Mines Corp's Milne Inlet port and travel independantly to Baffin Island and back. However even with that power, trying to tow a fully laden and powerless container ship in severe weather was probably beyond its ability. The Océan Raynald T is a harbour tug, so it was wise to seek shelter under the circumstances

 There is now no ETA for Halifax, but when the weather eases and the effects of the system pass, the tow will need at least two days to reach Halifax.

The MSC Sao Paulo V was en route from Montreal to Sines, Portugal on March 3 when it suffered an engine room fire. (see previous posts). When the fire was finally extinguished the ship was towed to Quebec City for survey. Meanwhile the large ocean going tug ALP Sweeper was dispatched from Portugal. It arrived in Halifax on March 26 and it standing by to tow the ship to Europe.

 

According to reports there was no damage to the ship's cargo but the accommodation may have been burned out. It is expected that the ship will be towed to Portugal, but it may be partially or fully offloaded here first for safety and stability reasons.

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MSC SaoPaulo V - update

 A quick recap and update on the MSC Sao Paulo V.

As previously reported  on  March 5 through  March 9  (with updates) the fire damaged MSC Sao Paulo V was towed to Quebec City for damage survey. Since Quebec City has no facilities for unloading or storing containers it became a quesiton as to what would become of the ship's cargo. I have no confirmation on this, but it is likely that General Average was declared and all cargo owners will have to contribute to a general fund before their cargo can be released. In the meantime the ship will have to be unloaded and its entire cargo impounded.

It has now been confirmed that the ship was been towed out of Quebec City March 22 and is bound for Halifax. The Quebec City based Océan Taïga is towing and the Océan Raynald T has a line astern. This morning, March 24, AIS showed the tugs and tow in the lee of the land off Cap Trinité between Baie-Comeau and Sept-Iles, in high winds. Later in the day they were well underway again at 6.6 knots with an ETA in Halifax of March 28.

Meanwhile the big Dutch tug ALP Sweeper departed Ponta Delgada, Portugal March 19 for Halifax and is due March 26. It is expected to tow the ship away - destination as yet unknown. It is fairly certain that the ship will be completely unloaded in Halifax before going. It then depends on the condition of the ship whether it will be repaired or sent to the scrappers. Prospects for a ship built in 1998 do not appear favourable after an engine room fire that spread to accommodations.

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MSC Sao Paulo V fire - update #4

 The Canadian Coast Guard has declared that the fire aboard MSC Sao Paulo V is extinguished. The CCG made the announcement yesterday, March 8, and allowed all emergency resources to stand down. Two firefighting teams from the United States assisted the ship's crew and CCG in containing the fire that broke out on March 3. 

The icebreaker CCGS Amundsen has now returned to its spring ice operations on the Saguenay River and the tug l'Anse du Moulin is heading for its home port of Baie-Comeau. (The tug Grande-Baie came over from Méchins to look after tug ops in Baie-Comeau.) The two MSC ships, MSC Don Giovanni and MSC Celine  which were providing relief and catering to the crew of the MSC Sao Paulo V have also continued on their ways to Montreal and Corner Brook respectively. 

A period of 24 hours was needed to evacuate smoke and clear CO2 before crew could re-occupy the ship without breathing apparatus, so the ship remained at anchor over night.

The tug  Ocean Keith Rusby arrived from Quebec City with a generator which allowed the otherwise powerless ship to raise its anchor. Making up a line astern it then joined Ocean Taiga taking the ship in tow for Quebec City, leaving the Prince Shoal area of Tadoussac this morning, March 9. I can find no reference to whether crew have re-boarded or not.

MSC's published schedule does not show what will become of the MSC Sao Paulo V's cargo which was en route to Sines, Portugal, and Mediterranean ports. Presumably it will have to be unloaded in Montreal as there are only limited facilities in Quebec City and no container cranes. If General Average is declared the cargo may be impounded until cargo interests make their contribution to the GA fund.

It is likely that the ship's stopover in Quebec City will allow for a formal survey of damages and a Transportation and Safety Board of Canada investigation. With a ship this age (it was built in 1998) there will be the question of whether the extent of damage will make repairs prohibitive.

Arriving Halifax July 4, 2022.

Assuming the ship arrives in Quebec City this evening without incident, I don't expect a further update for some time.

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MSC Sao Paulo V - FIRE - update #2

 Ship traffic on the St.Lawrence River off the Escoumins pilot station was delayed this morning when fire broke out in the engine room of the ship MSC Sao Paulo V.

The Escoumins pilot station located on the north shore of the St.Lawrence,  255 km (158.4 mi, 137.7 n.mi.) downstream from Quebec City is a busy spot. All ships of any size embark or disembark pilots there for the St.Lawrence and Saguenay Rivers.

The MSC Sao Paulo V was outbound for Sines Portugal from Montreal when the fire broke out near Escoumins and both pilot boats and the nearby icebreaker CCGS Amundsen responded. As a result pilotage operations were halted for a time and some ships had to stand by. 

I have no detailed information on the current situation, but it seems that the fire did not spread to the cargo. The tug l'Anse du Moulin from Baie Comeau was on the scene. It has firefighting capability, but can also provide towing as I assume the ship's engine is inoperable.

The MSC Sao Paulo V has been in Halifax several times, most recently on February 24 when it was on the westbound leg of the trip from Europe to Montreal. Its previous calls were on the Turkey-Greece service on July 4, 2022 and August 27, 2023.

Another of MSC's older ships, MSC Sao Paulo V was built in 1998 by Hyundai Ulsan as Pohang Senator. In 2008 it became CSAV Pyrenees and in 2013 became Pohang.  In 2013 it was renamed MSC Sao Paulo and in 2023 it became MSC Sao Paulo V. Its tonnages come in at 53,324 gt, 63,537 dwt giving a capacity of 4688 TEU. (The Roman numeral has been added to MSC ship's names to categorize the ship by container capacity class. In this case V for 5 indicates that the ship carries more than 4000 but less than 5000 TEU.)

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I will update this post when more information becomes available.

Update #1

From press reports and official statements, it seems that the fire broke out at about 11 pm Sunday, March 3 when the ship was off the mouth of the Saguenay River, near Bergeronnes, QC. The ship lost power and began to drift toward shore. 

The two pilot boats from Escoumins responded and, according to reports (not necessarily reliable), pushed on the ship to prevent further drift and stood by while it was able to anchor. 

The tug Anse de Moulin from Baie-Comeau arrived on scene late morning Monday. A CBC photo shows the tug spraying water on the ship. This appears to be hull cooling - a common tactic for shipboard fires to prevent spread.

The fire was declared under control mid-day Monday, March 4.

The crew of twenty-five was not evacuated, but the CCGS Amundsen was prepared to do that if needed, and deployed a work boat to the ship. There was no report of pollution, and the cargo does not appear to have been damaged.

Two ships, MSC Celine and MSC Don Giovanni stood by presumably to assist if evacuation was needed. There was no indication that they sent personnel to assist.

The ship is anchored, and will need to be towed, but as yet no destinaiton port has been declared.

Update #2 (2030 hrs AST March 5)

Despite earlier reports, the fire aboard MSC Sao Paolo V has spread to the superstructure. The tug Ocean Taiga from Quebec City is now on scene and the two tugs are spraying down the ship. Presumably the crew has been evacuated.

This has become a far more serious event than orginally anticpated, since most fires of this type have not been extinguished without significant damage to ship and cargo.

 I will update this post again if more information becomes available.

 

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